Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Parenthood
Time, Mistakes, and the Past
Friendship, Family, Love, and Bravery
Reputation and Expectation
Death and Sacrifice
Summary
Analysis
Back at home, Albus can’t sleep—he’s at the top of the stairs listening to Harry argue with Amos Diggory, who has paid a surprise visit. Amos starts to talk about his son, Cedric, explaining that Voldemort wanted to kill Harry, not Cedric, and Cedric was simply collateral damage—Voldemort even said “kill the spare” as he murdered Cedric. Amos begs Harry to help him get Cedric back, because Amos heard that the Ministry now has a Time-Turner.
Here Harry is forced to grapple with the past in a new way as Amos Diggory confronts Harry. Even decades later, Amos maintains a constant obsession with how to get his son Cedric back, jumping at any possibility that could help him. Cedric’s death, described here, takes place in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire during the Triwizard Tournament, as he was unluckily caught in the crossfire between Harry and Voldemort.
Themes
Harry is aghast at the suggestion, saying that they can’t play with time in that way. Amos asks how many people have died for the “Boy Who Lived” and begs him to save just one. Harry is hurt by this, and he tells Amos that the rumor isn’t true and that he doesn’t have a Time-Turner.
Here Harry introduces the idea that trying to fix the past—even in a magical world in which it is possible to do so—is extremely dangerous. This exchange also underscores how Harry’s reputation can sometimes be a burden to him, because his moniker of the “Boy Who Lived” and his failure to always live up to the reputation as the savior of the whole wizarding world makes him feel guilty in scenarios like Cedric’s death, when he couldn’t save everyone.
Themes
Suddenly, a young woman approaches Albus on the stairs, startling him. She introduces herself as Delphi Diggory and says that she looks after Amos. When Albus introduces himself, she’s amazed that he’s Harry’s son, but he’s clearly annoyed when she brings up the connection. Delphi apologizes, saying that people always make fun of her for putting her foot in her mouth, and Albus says he gets bullied, too.
Again, Albus emphasizes how he is still constantly struggling with other people’s comparisons between him and Harry. However, he instantly forges a connection with Delphi because she was bullied, too. As with Scorpius, Albus recognizes how their shared experience can bond them and then help them overcome their struggles.
Themes
As Delphi gets up to leave, she acknowledges that they don’t choose who they’re related to. Amos is her uncle in addition to her patient, and it’s tough to live with people who are stuck in the past. As Amos calls to Delphi to leave, she tells Albus that she works at St. Oswald’s Home for Old Witches and Wizards and he should visit her sometime. She heads into the room with Harry and Amos, and Amos calls Harry “once-great” and a “stone-cold Ministry man” as they leave.
Delphi’s comment suggests that both Amos and Harry are fixated on their pasts—Harry’s reputation as a hero, and Amos’s loss of his son. And the final exchange between Harry only reinforces that idea, as Amos is plagued by wanting to bring his son back and Harry feels upset at Amos pointing out that he was “once-great” but is no longer. Harry wants to live up to the expectations of heroism that other people have of him.
Themes
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